His next movie, The Fabelmans, due to arrive in theaters this November, is a coming-of-age story inspired by Spielberg’s own childhood growing up in Arizona. It stars Michelle Williams as Spielberg’s mother, Paul Dano as his father, and Seth Rogen as his favorite uncle. This could be Spielberg’s most deeply personal work to date, visualizing the memories of his youth through the lens of cinematic nostalgia. For the first time since 2001’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Spielberg has a writing credit on the film (alongside regular collaborator Tony Kushner). Once The Fabelmans is in the can, Spielberg will move on to revamping another ‘60s cinema classic. But instead of adapting another lavish Hollywood musical like West Side Story, Spielberg will be adapting the game-changing, action-packed 1968 neo-noir classic Bullitt.
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Unlike West Side Story, Spielberg’s Bullitt project isn’t a straightforward remake imitating the familiar plot of a beloved gem. Josh Singer, the Oscar-winning screenwriter who co-wrote Spielberg’s political docudrama The Post with Liz Hannah, has been tapped to come up with an original story revolving around the Frank Bullitt character. Since 1968’s Bullitt is one of the most groundbreaking action movies of all time, and it has stood the test of time more than half a century later, Spielberg’s reimagining might struggle to prove that it needs to exist, let alone live up to the original’s iconic legacy.
In any other circumstances, a Bullitt reboot would be met with more skepticism. But Spielberg has announced his Bullitt project on the heels of receiving some of the best reviews of his career for remaking a classic ‘60s movie. 2021’s West Side Story is a dazzling delight that matches the cinematic experience of the original and takes it a few steps further. Some critics boldly declared Spielberg’s West Side Story to be an improvement over the 1961 original. In the original movie, the camera remains static in a lot of the dance sequences, so it’s more or less the same experience as watching the show on a Broadway stage.
Spielberg utilized the mobility of the camera and tasked Janusz Kamiński, his go-to cinematographer since 1993, with capturing the dances in meticulously planned, perfectly executed long takes. Spielberg and Kamiński can do the same with the action set-pieces of their Bullitt movie. Spielberg’s signature oners could make the reboot’s action even more engaging and visceral than the original. That might seem impossible, given how memorable the action sequences in the original Bullitt are, but the spectacle of 1961’s West Side Story didn’t seem like it could be topped and Spielberg pulled that off.
It’ll be tricky to top the riveting action sequences from 1968’s Bullitt, particularly the revolutionary car chase whose razor-sharp cutting won editor Frank P. Keller an Oscar. But Spielberg has a hard-earned reputation as one of Hollywood’s best action directors. Both refreshing and nostalgic, the action sequences in the Indiana Jones movies masterfully evoke classic action-adventure serials with practical stunt work, clarity of movement, and clearly defined stakes. Spielberg’s Bullitt film has the potential to bring the pulpy, old-school action of the Indiana Jones franchise onto the crime-ridden streets of San Francisco.
Spielberg might be coming up with an original story for his Bullitt movie, but it’s not the mafia double-crossing that made the 1968 movie compelling; it was Steve McQueen’s iconic, cool-as-ice portrayal of the titular tough-as-nails cop. The key to making this Bullitt reboot work is finding a lead actor who won’t just do a McQueen impression. Spielberg needs to find an actor with McQueen’s ice-cool movie-star charisma who can put his own iconic spin on the role. Maybe he could reunite with his Catch Me If You Can star, Leonardo DiCaprio.
Little is known about the Bullitt reboot except that Spielberg is still working out the script with Singer and it’ll follow an original storyline about the eponymous detective. While Spielberg is busy finishing up The Fabelmans, there probably won’t be any more announcements about his Bullitt update. But, at the very least, the fact that McQueen’s son Chad and granddaughter Molly are serving as executive producers is a good sign that the new movie will honor and respect the legacy of the 1968 original.
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